In males, in addition to removal of the bladder, the procedure includes removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles. The portion of the procedure involving the prostate and seminal vesicles is essentially identical to that...
Radical cystectomy with the creation of a urinary diversion is a major surgical procedure. It takes several hours to perform the procedure and includes operating on the intestines. The recovery from this surgery can be...
In most cases, pelvic lymph node dissection does not increase the morbidity of a radical cystectomy operation. This means that people who have a radical cystectomy with a pelvic lymph node dissection have the same...
A pelvic lymph node dissection is a procedure that removes those lymph nodes that are most likely to harbor metastatic bladder cancer. The lymphatic sys-tem collects fluid throughout the body and returns it to the...
A radical cystectomy is major surgery and as such has serious potential risks. Keep in mind, however, that the goal of surgery is to cure you of cancer. As such, minor complications are not uncommon,...
I am an older person and am afraid that major surgery will be too much for me. Do older people do well after a cystectomy? This is a valid concern and one that many physicians...
Yes. The caution here is that radiation to the abdomen or pelvis (i.e., for ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma, or other cancer) makes the procedure more difficult for the surgeon and increases the risks for...
Robotic surgery is essentially an outgrowth of laparoscopy. Laparoscopy can be difficult because the instruments need to be long and straight to be inserted through the skin. It can thus be difficult to reach some...
Absolutely. It can be done. Multiple surgeons have now reported that they have performed the procedure successfully. In women, the procedure technically is similar to removal of the uterus, a procedure that is commonly performed...
Laparoscopy refers to surgery that is done by using instruments inserted into the body through a tiny incision. A camera attached to a small telescope inserted through another tiny incision provides visualization for the surgeon....
Or Do I Need To Travel To A Large Referral Center? Many local hospitals across the country provide excel-lent care that is convenient for both you and your family. Several factors are involved in making...
Studies have generally shown a slight advantage to getting chemotherapy before undergoing surgery. When these studies are combined, we are able to see about a 5% improvement in overall survival at five years. One important...
Radical cystectomy is the procedure of choice for many different types of patients. Most commonly, it is per-formed in patients who have muscle-invasive bladder cancer. If a bladder cancer invades the muscle, then other treatments...
A radical cystectomy is the complete surgical removal of the bladder. It can be thought of as three separate procedures: (1) removal of the bladder, (2) removal of the lymph nodes, and (3) creation of...
Bladder cancer surveillance refers to the period of time that you are monitored for a recurrence of bladder cancer after the bladder cancer has been removed or treated. It is a term that is used...
When given intravesically, your body absorbs little or none of the drug, making systemic reactions rare. Allergic reactions can occur in 3% to 19% of patients. Rarely, some patients will experience decreased blood cell counts....
The efficacy of mitomycin C, as with all intravesical therapies, depends on when and how it is given, as well as to whom it is given. Mitomycin C was initially given to patients who failed...
Mitomycin C is a form of chemotherapy that is given intravesically in the same way that BCG is given. This type of chemotherapy acts by binding to tumor cell DNA, causing the DNA to malfunction...
Interferons are chemicals that are part of your body’s normal immune system. There are several subtypes of interferons, including α-interferon. BCG is, at least in part, effective against bladder cancer because it causes an increase...
BCG is administered through a catheter. The nurse will ask you to urinate to empty your bladder completely. A urine dipstick test will be performed to test for blood or infection. If the dipstick test...
BCG therapy is well tolerated by the majority of patients who receive it. It is, however, a live bacteria, and thus has a small potential of causing infection. Approximately 75% of the patients do complain...
BCG can best be described as very effective at preventing and delaying recurrences. Its actual effect depends on the grade and stage of tumor being treated as well as the dose and timing of the...
BCG is an option for treatment only after the initial TURBT has been performed and the pathologist has established a definitive diagnosis. Patients with low-grade, low-stage tumors are usually not given BCG. These patients have...
BCG stands for Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. It was developed in the 1920s. Some readers may recognize this as a vaccine for tuberculosis, as it is still used for this purpose in many countries. BCG is a...
Once you have been diagnosed with invasive bladder cancer, it is very important to seek treatment right away. The goal of bladder cancer treatment is to stop the cancer before it spreads outside of the...